Archives For in-car infotainment

Cars incorporating smartphone technology into their infotainment systems are getting to be de rigueur.

It’s turning into a race to see who can be the fastest to turn an automobile into a phone on wheels.

GM recently announced that it would be integrating its MyLink system with Apple’s Siri.

(Gee, that sounds familiar — who was the first one to let you start your car with Siri, again? Make sure to check out that video again really fast, c’mon, you know that you want to …)

Perhaps that’s a faster way to get hands-free for automakers. Look for it in 2013 Spark and Sonic models.

What you’ll be able to do with voice commands in those vehicles should be impressive.

That is, as long as Siri cooperates …

What over connected car features and hot voice command controls can you think of for the cars of tomorrow? Feel free to sound off and let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section on this post.

Probably not the younger people likely to buy GM’s new Chevrolet Spark LT.

Connect your “source unit” — that is, your smartphone — to Chevy’s MyLink and control the system via a 7-inch touchscreen. Below the screen, there are only four buttons for power, home and volume up and down — and there are also just three knobs for the simple climate control system. There is no CD player (in fact, General Motors is apparently betting that you won’t even notice that it’s gone, because the Spark’s target audience already carries their tunes around on their smartphones).

When it’s powered down, the Spark’s dashboard is surprisingly simple. One CNET reviewer said, “Turn the key and you’ll find, as I did, that this is a case of less being more.”

Utilize Bluetooth for hands-free calling or to stream audio and of course you can use applicable phone apps. In addition, you can purchase BringGo for navigation. The future is now for in-car infotainment.

Speaking of hands-free calling, this news didn’t make major headlines when it was announced a little while ago, but it represents significant legislation for consumers and automakers, as well as smartphone manufacturers.

California is following in the footsteps of Idaho and making it legal to text while driving, provided drivers use voice-operated technology for hands-free texting and email. Of course, this still doesn’t address the issue of distracted driving.

People don’t have to use their hands to text but studies have shown that distraction remains the problem.